Animal-trap.



J. B. RUBY.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION IILBD JUNE 25, 1913. 1,1 16, 127, Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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WITNESSES 4 mmvron Jaw/v [was F05) W Mm Em. A

ATTORNEYS THE NORRIS PEYERS CQ FHGTUJJTHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C.

J. B. RUBY.

ANIMAL TRAP. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1913.

1, 1 1 6, 1 27., Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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ATTORNEYS THAI NORRIS PETERS CD PHOTD-LlTh-L, WASHINGTON. D. C

JOHN ENDS RUBY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

ANIM L-Tsar.

j a I Specification of Letters Batent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Application filed June 25,1913. Serial N 0. 775,703.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, J onn Enos RUBY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State ofIndiana, have made a new and useful Improvement in Animal-Traps, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to animal traps of a kind suitableior killing ratsand mice.

More particularly my invention comprehends a trap of this, kind in whichthe trigger is rendered especially sensitive.

My invention further contemplates improvements in construction wherebyvarious advantages are attained in connection with traps of this kind.Reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification, and in which likeletters indicate like parts. i

Figure 1 is a perspective showing one form of my trap. Fig. 2 is an endelevation of the trap. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3-3of Fig. 2, looking inthe direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a detailshowing in perspective 'a dog used for holding the jaw while the trap isset. Fig. 5 is a perspective showing another form of my trap suitablemore especially for mice. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the trap shown inFig. 5, and, Fig. 7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 6, looking inthe direction of the arrow.

Mounted upon a base board 8 is a vertically extending plate 9 having aportion 10 bent laterally to the general plane of the plate and securedupon the base board.

The ends of the portion 10 are bent upwardly and formed into ears 11.The plate 9 is provided with triangular portions 12 bent in planeslateral to the general plane of the plate 9, and engaging the baseboard. The plate 9 is provided with a top portion 13, and with ears 14:integral with this top portion and extending parallel with each other. Atongue 15 is struck from the plate 9 and bent laterally away fromthesame so as to leave an opening 16. A shaft 17 extends through theears 11 and practically across the trap. A trigger 18 is provided withears 19 integral with it, these earsbeing journaled upon the shaft 11,so that the trigger may rock. The trigger 18is provided with a portion20, and with an opening 21 .within said portlon. The opening 21 isadjacent a hole 22, with which the base board is provided. Thisarrangement facilitates the fastening of bait upon the portion 20 of thetrigger and leaves a little room for the bait to hang, down withouttouching the base board. The trigger 18 is provided with an eye 23integral with it and extending obliquely upward. A plungeipin 23 extendsthrough this eye and is provided with a head 25 engaging the eye. Theplunger pin adjacent its head is bent, as indicated in Fig. 3. The upperend oi the plunger is shown at 26, and extends through the tongue 15which is provided with a hole for this purpose. Encircling the shaft 17are two spiral springs 24 connected together by a portion of wire 24integral therewith and curved slightly. The springs 2i are also providedwith portions 2 1 of spring wire which extend away from the plate 9. Adog 27 made, in this instance, of sheet metal is provided with two lobes28, and with a projecting tongue 29, this tongue being slightly curvedand adapted to swing freely over the tongue 15, and to engage theupper-end 26 of the plunger pin. The dog 27 is further provided withholes 30 (see Fig. 1) extending through the lobes 28, and a pin 31carried by the ears 14: extends through the holes 30 in the lobes 28,and thus supports the dog 27. j The weight of the lobes 28 tends tomaintain the dog in such position thatthe tongue 29 occupies a positionto the left of the end 26 of the plunger pin, according to Fig. 3. Thelobes 28 are provided with two lugs 32 integral with them. A dog isfurther provided with a lip 33. A jaw 26 havingsubstantially a generalU-form is journaled upon the shaft 17 and is engaged by the springmembers 2st which are always under tension from the springs 24. Thepressure of the spring members 2l upon the jaw 26 tends to keep this jawin the position indicated in Fig. 1. A setting lever 3 1 is providedwith an arch portion 35 adapted tobe engaged by the operators foot inorder to actuate the lever. This lever is further provided with portions36, the latter having inwardly turned ends 37 which extend underneathadjacent portions of the jaw 26 When the several movable parts occupytheir respective normal position, or in other words, whenthe trap is notset, the dog 27 hangs loosely. The jaw 26 rests loosely upon the leftend of the base board 8, according to Figs. 1 and3, and the arch pertion 35 of the foot lever extends obliquely upward to the right, asindicated in Fig. 3. The bait is secured to the trigger in the usual orany other suitable manner.

In order to set the trap, the operator places his foot upon the archportion of the foot lever and presses downwardly so as to rock the footlever, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The portions 36 of thefoot lever are thus rocked upwardly, and the inwardly extending ends 37carry the jaw 26 from its normal position to a position indicated byfull lines in Fig. 3. The jaw 26 in swinging upwardly engages the lip 33and swings the dog 27 in a clockwise direction, according to Fig. 3, sothat the jaw passes the lip 33. If, for any reason, it should happenthat the tongue 29 is toward the right instead of the left, of the end26 of the plunger pin according to Fig. 3, the engagement of the jaw 26with the lip 33 as the jaw is swung upwardly into its new position,causes the dog-27 to rock in a cloclcwise direction according to Fig. 3.This causes the dog 27 to glide past the end 26 of the plunger pin. Thenwhen the aw 26 under spring tension as above explained. settles backagainst the lip 33, the tongue 29 engages the protruding end 26 of theplunger pin. The trigger 18 extends at its rear end through an opening 6formed in the plate 9 by stamping a tongue or ear 7 therefrom, which earis bent down and secured flush with the portion 10, and the trigger isprovided with a weighted portion 2O which normally holds the portion20at a suitable distance from the top of the base board. When, however,the portion 20 of the trigger is depressed, as by a rat trying toextricate bait from the trigger, the plunger pin 23 is drawn downwardlyand its end 26 is pulled out of engagement with the tongue 29. The dog27, being thus released by the plunger pin, rocks in a contra-cl0ckwisedirection according to Fig. 3, and the jaw 26 is disengaged and isturned by spring pressure toward its normal position, thus killing theanimal actuating the trigger. In practice, all that is necessary inorder to set this form of the trap is to bait the trigger and press uponthe arch portion 35 of the foot lever.

In the form shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, I provide a base board 38 havinga bait hole 39. A metallic plate 40 is securedupon the base board, andis provided with an upturned tongue 41, and with an opening 4C2. fromwhich this tongue is struck up. The plate 40 is further provided withears 43-4A and with a tongue 45, the latter'being bent up between theears 43. A shaft 4-6 extends through the ears 43, and two spiral springs47 encircle the shaft 456. The spiral springs i? are connected togetherby a section 4-8 of spring wire integral therewith. The springs 47 arefurther provided with portions 4C9 of spring wire integral with them andextending away from the shaft- 46, the portions 49 of spring wire areformed at their ends into hook members 50. A jaw, of substantiallyU-form as shown at 50 is journaled upon the shaft 46. The trigger isshown at 51 and is provided with downwardly extending side walls 52, thelatter being lightened to some extent by havingholes 53 formed in. them.The trigger 51 carries a forwardly extending por tion 54, and isprovided with an opening 55, the latter being directly over the baithole 39 of the base board. The jaw 50 is always under tension from thespiral springs 47; Extending through the ears 44: is a shaft 56. A dog54:" is mounted upon this shaft and is provided with a tongue 54extending slightly downward. The dog 54* is further provided withtwolobes 55 the latter having lugs 57 integral with them. The dog isalso further provided with a; lever58 projecting slightly andadaptedtobe engaged by the jaw 50?. A. plunger pin is shown at 59 and,extends through the-hole in the trigger 51,, and also through a hole inthe tongue 41. The plunger pin is provided with a head 60 and with anend, portion 61. Bait being fastenedupon the portion 54 of the trigger51', and the triggerbeing brought from: the position indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 7 to the position indicated by full lines in said figure,the plunger pin 59 is thusmoved inthe general direction of its length tothe right according to Fig. 7, and the tongue 54c of the dog 54 iscaused to-rest upon the end. portion 61 of the plunger pin. The trap isthus set. Whenever an animal depresses the trigger 54, the-plunger pin59 is thus moved slightly in the direction of its general length to theleft, according to Fig. 7, theend portion 61 being drawn outfromunderthe tongue 54 This releases the dog 54%, and the latter in turndisengages the jaw 50. s This jaw being released and beingunder springtension,- as, above described, leaps from; theposition indicated byfulllines in Fig. 7 to the position indicated by dotted lines in said,figure, thus killing. the animal actuating the trigger. v

The operation of: myv device is as. follows: Bait being secured upon thetrigger of either form 0t the trap,,the=trapiis setas described andplaced, in, a, position favorable for enabling the rats ;:or otheranimals to actuate the trigger.

Itwill be noted thatin either form of the trapthe trigger; isrenderedespecially sensis tive'bythe fact that. the plungerpin; (23 or 59) isvery easily. moved in the, direction of its length. This: is because theleverage of the trig er is thrown upon: the plunger pin and, the latterbeing thus moved .end-

wise out of engagement with the dog 27, or 54 the jaw is releasedquickly and positively.

I do not limit myselfto the precise construction shown, as variationsmay be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim: a

1. In an animal trap, a movable dog, a movable pin automatically held inthe path of said dog to limit the movement of the latter in onedirection, a movable jaw adapted when moved into one position toautomatically engage the dog to move the same against said pin forrestraining the jaw, means formomentarily tripping the pin out oflimiting position, said dog adapted when moved in a direction oppositeto the pin limiting direction to momentarily move said pin to allow thepassage of the do and means carried by the dog adapted to e engaged bysaid jaw for moving the dog in last said direction.

2. In an animal trap, a movable dog, a detent, means for automaticallyholding the same to normally limit the movement of the dog in onedirection, said dog having a curved portion to engage the detent whenmoved in the opposite direction for momentarily moving the detent toallow passage of the dog, a movable jaw adapted when moved into oneposition to automatically engage the dog and hold the same against thedetent adaptedto normally prevent the movement of the dog intoinoperative position, a movable jaw, adapted when in one position toengage the dog and hold the same in position for restraining the jaw,spurs on the dog adapted to be engaged byithe jaw for moving the dog inoperative position, said dog provided with a curved portion adaptedCopies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressingWashington, D 0.

to momentarily move the detent to allow passage of the dog frominoperative to operative position, and means for momentarily trippingthe detent.

4. In an animal trap, a movable dog, a detent, a pivoted trigger, havinga weight on one end, said detent connected with said trigger and adaptedto be moved thereby, said trigger adapted to automatically hold thedetent in position to limit the movements of the dog in one direction,said dog havin a portion adapted to engage the detent and momentarilymove the same to allow passage of the dog in the opposite direction, aspring operated movable jaw, said jaw adapted to move into one positionto automatically engage the dog and hold the same against the detent forrestraining the jaw, and means adapted to be engaged by the jaw forautomatically moving the said dog in said opposite direction.

5. An animal trap comprising a base board, aplate positioned thereon,said plate having outwardly bent ears, a dog pivoted between said ears,a movable pin, a tongue bent out from the plate through which the pinslides, a shaft supported by the plate, a trigger pivoted on said shaft,said trigger provided with a weight on one end thereof, said pin beingconnected to said trigger at the end opposite the weight, said pinadapted to limit the movement of the dog in one direction, a springactuated jaw pivoted on said shaft, said jaw movable into position toengage said dog and for holding the same in pin limited position, saiddog provided with a curved portion adapted to engage the pin formomentarily moving the same to allow passage of the dog into position tobe limited by the pin, and spurs carried by the dog to be engaged bysaid jaw for moving the said curved portion into engagement with thepin. a

JOHN ENOS RUBY.

Witnesses:

RUTH LEGG, WILL E. BERNER.

the Commissioner of Patents,

